


Everyone Loves a Good Mystery Except for the Victims, the Culprits, and Especially the Detectives

by knightofsuperior



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Mystery Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:35:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24670927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightofsuperior/pseuds/knightofsuperior
Summary: When the leaders of the United Kingdom of Fodlan go missing, an unexpected ally offers to aid in the search. Suspicions, mysteries, and secrets abound as the Golden Deer confront their past in order to save Fodlan's future.
Kudos: 8





	Everyone Loves a Good Mystery Except for the Victims, the Culprits, and Especially the Detectives

_** Queen and King Eisner Missing? ** _

_** Royal Couple and Guardian Force Vanish Post-Battle, Locals Say ** _

_** Source: Faerghus Resurrection Alliance at Root of Disappearances ** _

_** Secret Rendezvous or Sinister Plot? ** _

Lorenz crumpled his copy of The Fodlan Inquiry, the loud and sudden crunch of the paper echoing through the conference hall. “It’s in every headline. It’s all anyone in the entire kingdom can talk about. On top of all of that, it’s been a  _ week  _ since the Professor and Claude left for Fort Mercius, and there’s still no contact. How can it be that no one here, not a  _ single _ person in this room, knows a damned thing about what’s going on?!” His eyes scanned the room like a hawk for its prey. “We’ve been able to hold back the press and public for the time being, but that can only last so long. We need answers, and we need them  **_now!_ ** ”

“We’re trying, Lorenz!” Leonie slammed her hands on the table, glaring daggers towards the Lord of Gloucester. “Our lack of answers isn’t from lack of effort. We’ve searched every single inch of Gronder Field, top to bottom; we even went as far as Aegir and Hrym territory!”

“Then surely you have some kind of trail!”

Sylvain shook his head, frowning. “Not even a footprint. Whoever whisked those two away did a hell of a job cleaning up their tracks. By the time we arrived, the scene was clean. Almost too clean-no blood, no ammo, no corpses even. Locals claimed  _ some _ kind of fight went down, but the evidence says otherwise.”

“Hrm.” Lindhardt tapped his left finger on the table, taking notes with his right hand. “Presuming there was a battle, a cover-up of that scale would take either a large amount of manpower, a good amount of money-for bribing purposes-or a decent amount of magic. Not to mention, unless the whole of their company was wiped out in the fight, someone would have seen  _ something _ . We can presume any allied forces, and perhaps even some enemy forces, were taken along with the Professor and Claude.”

“Huh? Why would they do that?” Raphael scratched his chin, a puzzled expression on his face. “I mean, it’s got to be the Rezzies who did it, right? They’ve been talkin’ up a storm about some big plan, so maybe this is part of it.”

Lorenz closed his eyes. It was true that the Faerghus Resurrection Alliance had been quite active lately. Their push for the independence of Faerghus from the United Kingdom of Fodlan had gotten more and more aggressive, with some sects launching assaults on forts across UKF territory. However-

“It certainly would seem as such to the layman,” Linhardt replied as if reading Lorenz’ mind, “But if they  _ did _ get their hands on those two, the Resurrectionists would be proclaiming their victory to the heavens themselves. For them to be so silent is concerning, indicating they either don’t know or don’t want to admit to any failures of their own.”

“I-if I can offer a theory?” Lorenz turned to his left; Marianne had her hand up, as if waiting to be called upon in class.

A nostalgic sight, he had to admit.

“Go right ahead.”

“Thank you.” Marianne let her hand fall, and then cleared her throat. “We’re assuming that this was a traditional kidnapping, physical or magical. But…” She stopped, a few scattered mumblings falling from her lips. “...but,” she continued, “What if this was something more than that? What if someone forced them into leaving, perhaps?”

“Are you suggesting they were blackmailed?” Even from her seat at the far end of the table, Flayn’s shock was palpable. “I find it difficult to believe that they would engage in sordid behavior worthy of criminal intrigue!”

Lorenz had to hold back a chuckle. Even years on, Flayn had...quite the vocabulary.

Marianne shrunk back. “I-I wasn’t implying that...it’s just that, we’re talking about Professor Byleth and Claude-they’re too strong to simply be defeated in combat alone. What if someone threatened them? What if someone threatened...” Her words trailed off, though those present had an idea of how she intended to end them.

If anyone threatened the safety of their Golden Deer, the Professor and Claude would fight tooth and nail to protect them.

However, if their foe had some kind of leverage, something powerful enough to outclass even the ones who defeated the King of Liberation…

Lorenz couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that crept through him.

Lysithea, seated to Marianne’s right, placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Mari. Sure, knowing those two, they probably  _ would  _ try to play the martyrs if any of us were in any kind of danger. Even then, though, they’d find  _ some  _ way to let us know. Watch-” At this, she pointed towards the main entryway to the conference room. “I bet you someone’s going to walk right through that door with a letter, or a message...maybe it’ll even be those two themselves.”

At this, the doors opened wide, slamming into the walls with a thundering crash. A pair of guards lay still at the doorstep-breathing, thankfully, but unconscious. “My apologies, but I’m afraid,” a gravelly voice replied, a tinny echo seeping through its words. “I’ll have to disappoint you regarding that last option.”

As the hall’s occupants turned to face the new arrival, the color drained from Lorenz’ face. The figure before them was clad in black and red, a cloak adorned with feathery frills covering the whole of their body. 

“Your King and Queen are an intriguing pair. Few royals, save some in recent memory, take to the field with their soldiers. However, leaving behind the homestead leaves it at the mercy of all manner of unsavory forces...and personally, I find your defenses rather lacking.”

The fabric itself seemed tattered and moth-bitten, as if it had been dug up from deep within the confines of a closet...or off of a corpse. Beneath the cloak, silver armor shifted and clanged with each step the figure took. 

“Your friend was correct, by the way. There  _ was  _ a threat levied against your kingdom, one that even the great unifiers of Fodlan could not handle, and your precious leaders offered themselves to the chopping block. It seems as though their takers have held up their end of the bargain, considering this entire building isn’t a burning heap right now. I do wonder what they plan to do with all the extra hangers-on, though. More fresh bodies to test with, I’d presume.” 

A dagger sat on the figure’s hip, in a sheath made of faded leather. A full helm covered their face, the visor a patchwork of other pieces of armor-but the visage it displayed was all too familiar: half white, half red, and with piercing black eyes.

“In any case, they haven’t noticed I made it here, so that’s a small relief. We have little time to act, and I have little patience for questions, but I suppose I’ll answer what I can.”

Lorenz found his words couldn’t quite come to him. Judging by the silence that fell upon the room, he wasn’t alone.

“Hm? Now, now. You were all so chatty a moment ago. What’s the matter?” 

The Flame Emperor tilted their head.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”


End file.
